Tag Archives: killer crocodile

In conjunction with 101 Films, Creature Feature Corner is giving you the chance to win a DVD copy of the killer crocodile caper, Freshwater!

“When a group of 20-somethings meet up at their island lake house for a weekend of partying, one of the friends never shows up. As more lake visitors are yanked underwater by what seems to be some giant alligators, the screams bring the group out of the lake house. Will anyone get off the island in one piece?”

A team of American journalists go in search of a giant man-eating crocodile in Burundi. However their search for the legendary beast is hampered when a local warlord makes them as his next target. What will get them first – the bloodthirsty warlord or the ravenous Primeval man-eater?!

Whilst not the strongest movie to be based on a real life crocodile, Primeval still delivers where it really counts.

Most films use political unrest as a backdrop to their main story but Primeval often places it front and centre. I have no idea of how accurate the depiction of the Burundi is but it’s very unflattering. I couldn’t help getting the impression that this was Africa seen through a very American lens as we are treated to various African stereotypes such as rampant corruption, voodoo witch doctors, blood-thirsty criminal war lords and the desperate dream of immigration to America.

Creature Feature Interviews

Annabel Wright (Lake Placid vs Anaconda, Blood in the Water)

When film franchises make the transition from the cinematic gloss of big budget theatrical releases to the discounted but arguably more creative free world of the direct-to-TV release, it’s often seen as the final nail in the franchise coffin. However there are two series that have defied the odds and not only survived the transition but have thrived.

The Anaconda and Lake Placid franchises both transitioned to the Syfy Channel and now, 16 years after their first installments they have both reached the fifth film in their respective franchises with a crossover dual that pitches the Crocodiles of Black Lake against the Blood Orchid enthused Anacondas from the Amazon.

When Murdoch’s daughter and Jim Bickerman unwittingly unleash Blood Orchid enhanced Anacondas and the Crocodiles of Black Lake on the neighboring Clear Lake, it’s up to Sheriff Reba and Fish & Game warden Tully to save a group of vacationing Sorority Girls and put an end to this madness once and for all. But how many human lives will be lost in the climatic battle of the Crocodiles of Lake Placid vs Anaconda!

I had a chance to ask the wonderful actress Annabel Wright a few questions about her role as the lead villainess Sarah Murdoch in Lake Placid vs Anaconda. Read on for a fun little interview in which we discuss working with Robert Englund, conquering her fear of snakes, boat building and her in-development cookery show….

[AW] I had my first experience of being on stage aged 3. My parents had taken me to a variety entertainment show, I was pretty small and had to sit on a load of folded coats to see the stage, but I was utterly engrossed in the performances. At one point a man with a variety of musical instruments asked if there were any children who would like to come up on stage and help him with his act, before my parents had blinked I had jumped up and was standing on the seat, arms waving. I was invited up on stage and I got to play the trombone in front of a large audience and curtsy, I received a big round of applause, I couldn’t stop smiling – I’m sure in part because I managed to get a sound out of the trombone and it was nearly as big as I was! Continue reading →

Creature Feature Interviews

Michael Anderson (The Hatching)

Britain is never the first country that springs to mind when thinking of the Creature Feature market but there is one man who is looking to change that.

Film-maker Michael Anderson has had a long and varied career spanning multiple decades and now, he has turned his hard-earned skills to his feature-length directorial debut, The Hatching.

Co-written by Anderson and his writing partner, Nick Squire, The Hatching was produced entirely in the UK and has already wowed distributors from the US.

In the UK, The Hatching has made plenty of waves on the festival circuit and I managed to catch up with Mr Anderson to discuss everything from the movie to the British sense of humour, shooting a film in the UK, the use of real crocodiles vs CGI and the Winter Floods of 2013.

And if that wasn’t enough, we got some exclusive scoops on some future Creature Feature projects that Mr Anderson has in the works…